Sunday, we are sad to say, was the last day for the Dallas location of Sherlock's Pub — the one located near NorthPark Center at the corner of U.S. 75 and Park Lane. In a statement, the restaurant group that owns Sherlock's and its sister locations said that the bar was closing because its 10-year lease has expired. From personal experience, we can say that the overpriced, boring beer selection and crappy food probably didn't help the place stay open any longer, either.

Still, the bar will forever occupy a place in the hearts of Dallas sports fans of a certain age and temperament. It is, after all, the (former) home of perhaps the greatest unofficial shrine in Dallas sports history: The Josh Hamilton Memorial Bathroom Stall.

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In the summer of 2014, a vinyl cutout of Hamilton — then still playing for the Angels — in a Rangers uniform was spotted affixed to the interior wall of one of the stalls in Sherlock's bathrooms. To understand why this is historic, you need to know the story of Hamilton's second relapse during his time in North Texas.

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In January of 2012, as Hamilton — an admitted alcoholic and addict — was in the midst of negotiating a contract extension with the Rangers, rumors began circulating that Hamilton had made an appearance at Sherlock's "Rock Star Karaoke" promotion. He'd had a few drinks, a witness emailed Deadspin , and begun making out with one of his fellow patrons. Hamilton, who was married at the time, then went into the Sherlock's restroom with the woman. He emerged after "about five minutes," the witness said. There was, supposedly, a short video of the encounter in the bathroom, but both Deadspin and an unnamed Dallas TV station reportedly declined to purchase the video.

After the incident, Hamilton and the Rangers' negotiations fell through. After the 2012 season, the outfielder signed a $125 million contract with the Angels. That deal ended up being such a bust that the Angels traded Hamilton back to the Rangers in 2015 for nothing and ate the vast majority of the money remaining on his contract.

Before Hamilton's return though, the shrine was erected. It was in the stall, and the bar took full responsibility. "In honor of Josh Hamilton allegedly going into the bathroom with a woman that was not his wife, we put a suite up just for him just in case he ever comes back," Sherlock's manager Geoff Polascik told the Observer last summer.

Now it looks like he'll never get that chance.

Stephen Young has written about Dallas news for the Observer since 2014. He's a Dallas native and a graduate of the University of North Texas.

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